In the apiary spring starts when the bees can find pollen on pussywillows and hazel trees, usually some time in March (In 2006 not until mid April, though).

 

On a warm day I'll have to check the hive floor and clear it of dead bees or wax particles that are blocking the entrance, and also check the food situation.

 
Click on the picture to see how the floors are changed.

The bees are foraging on early wild and garden flowers, and also the fir trees provide a good source for pollen.

 

A bit later the fruit trees are in blossom. Cherry, apple, plum and pear trees all benefit from the bees' visit, and my neighbours never complain about my bees, since they have such a lot of fruit in the autumn!

As the weather is getting warmer in spring, the queen is laying thousands of eggs, and it is important to check that the bees have room enough. Quite possibly I have to add some wax frames or even put a 'super' on, that is another hive box on top of the brood box. If I don't, the bees may start building queen cells, which is a sign that they are likely to swarm. I can remove the queen cells, or I can split the colony in two, so that one half has the queen and the other half has a nice and healthy queen cell. Sometimes I let a queen cell stay warm in the bathroom, and then the queen may hatch there. A colony for her can be made up by taking some frames with bees from a couple of other hives.

 

The left picture is of a big swarm I took this year, and the one to the right shows the empty queen cell after a queen has been born. In the middle I'm checking a colony.